So, What is the GNO League?

A "league" (whether bowling or some other sport) is usually a group of 'teams,' right?

In this case, a GNO League is a group of teams. These teams meet regularly for a Girls' Night Out (or afternoon or Saturday or whatever, really).

GNO League teams can be any size, but right now the optimum size is 4 members per team. Members take turns being the group's hostess. That way, each team member gets an opportunity to reap the benefits of being a hostess.

Currently, there are three options for your team.

Tabletop Bowling Team -- This team meets to make a set of cards or a project. A small fee is charged to cover the cost of materials for the project. There are no purchase requirements. If anyone wishes to place an order, then the hostess gets the goodies that are due to her if a "workshop" level is reached. Otherwise, it is just a fun time for all.

Gutter Bumpers Team -- is a Buyers' Club. Each member pledges to spend a minimum of $25 during each buying period. There are no real group meetings, but a different group member is considered the hostess each order period so that each team member gets all the benefits and rewards of being a hostess.

Bowling For Dollars Team -- is a group that meets to make a project, learn a new technique, have laughs and fun as well as place their order for the order period. Unless it is a very involved project that the team chooses to make, there is no charge for project materials. Hostess duties, and privileges, rotate between team members.

With all three types of teams, members are encouraged to bring outside orders at any time, especially during the month that member is hostess. It is an opportunity to raise the hostess benefits above the Level A goodies -- which are pretty awesome as they are.

Four member teams can decide for themselves if they want to have monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly order dates. Keep in mind, though, that our current catalogue and idea books are valid for 6 months at a time. Hostess gifts will change with each change of catalogue through the year.

Now, if you want to be part of a Gutter Bumper Team but don't have three other friends who will join with you, I would be happy to collect names and contact information for anyone who is interested in being part of a team. When there are four people on the list, who want the same order frequency, you'll receive a notice to confirm your continued interest and a starter packet. How easy is that?

Also, if you don't reside near me (western central Wisconsin or the Twin Cities area of Minnesota), but would like to be part of a Table Top Team or a Bowling For Dollars Team, you are more than welcome to form a team. I will provide the projects with extensive directions and samples to each hostess. Trust me, you CAN do it!

Everyone needs some time to have fun and to laugh and to be creative. Why not join a GNO Team and be part of the League.

Yes, a League. There will be some League-wide events that all team members will be invited to be part of. Come join the FUN!

Email me at SuseADoodle at Gmail dot com!

FUNshop Invitation

Next Tuesday (July 31) is a great day -- it's a FUNshop!

What's a FUNshop?

Well, a lot of rubber stamping direct sales company demonstrators hold "workshops." But, honestly, who wants to WORK at a party? So, The Angel Company(tm) began the habit of referring to these home parties as "Fun-shops." What a great idea -- host a FUNshop!

We're going to learn a few techniques for making quick and easy greeting or note cards, see how easy it is to make a simple scrapbook page (and use rubber stamps to embellish that page quickly and easily), see some examples of non-paper uses for rubber stamps. And, of course, the best part -- everyone gets to make two projects to take home!

Since the FUNshop starts at 5:30 PM, the hostess is providing dinner (chili from the slow cooker, homemade quick bread, and coffee) ... Then I'll do a quick introduction of who I am, of TheAngelCompany(tm) and quickly get to the fun stuff --
I plan to demonstrate the always fun "shaving cream marbling" technique, plus make two quick cards, and the scrapbook page. Of course, the real fun part comes when everyone gets to make two free projects to take home with them. Then, on to dessert ...

There will be prizes and door prizes, too. Everyone will have an opportunity to treat themselves to free exclusive stamp sets and any item(s) from the catalogue at HALF-PRICE!

Inside the invitation (shown above) it says, "GOOD NEWS! I'm hostessing a 'Creative Ladies FUNshop' with Sue Berg, Independent Distributor of rubber stamps from TheAngelCompany(tm). Why not join us for an awesome evening of rubber stamping fun, Tuesday, July 31, 5:30-8:00 PM, at ... Prizes are awarded for RSVP and bringing a friend (or two ...)"

If you are in one of the two Twin Cites (Minneapolis/St. Paul and Taylors Falls/St. Croix Falls) or within a reasonable distance of either of them, why not consider hostessing your own FUNshop? Contact me at the e-mail address above for more information.

The benefits are wonderful, you and your friends will have a lot of fun while making a few fun, FREE projects at a FUNshop. Catalogue Parties are available anywhere, anytime.

Scrapbook Page -- Layout Plan Done Digital

I'm getting read for a FUNshop -- basically a rubber stamping "workshop," but who wants to work at a rubber stamping party? It's supposed to be fun, so let's call it that. :-)

A number of the people who have been invited scrapbook already. I wanted to put together a scrapbook page to demonstrate at the party so they can see how easy it is to add rubber stamping to a scrapbook.

So, instead of drawing out ideas on grid paper, I decided to play with some of our recent photos (my husband and I shoot lots of digital photos) and layout ideas in one of my graphics arts programs.

The idea is an 8"x8" sheet of cardstock with two coordinating 4"x4" squares placed in opposite corners. Three photos are then cropped to approximately 3 1/2" square. The fourth box is left for journaling. I personally believe in handwriting as much of the journaling as possible on a page -- even those pages that feature our nature photography. Since I was working on the idea on the computer, I put in the text as a computer font, but when I make the page in real space, not just cyber-space, I would then hand write those thoughts.

"Where is the rubber stamping?" you may wonder. There is an "A" in the center of the page. This font that I have on my computer just happens to have the capital letter "A" that matches a rubber stamp in TheAngelCompany(tm) set called More Abundance. While I probably won't make this particular scrapbook page at the FUNshop, I am going to try to find another set of three pictures that I can use that will enable me to use that "A" as the first letter of the journaling. I really like the look of it there. (Actually, this letter A does not exactly match the one on the "More Abundance" (T-2775, $19.95) set -- it is, however, similar enough to give me an idea of how it will look on a scrapbook page. Like I said, I really do like the look of it there.)

One last thought, it is easy to add a shadow when working on a fully digital scrapbook page (but I'm just too darn cheap to make my pages this way because I don't want to spend the money on all that expensive ink and photo paper to print it out). So, why did I add a shadow to a layout plan for a page to be made out of cardstock and printed photos?

There is an easy way to add shadows to stamped images and to scrapbook pages. Really, there is. By using a very light gray brush tip marker, that is acid free and solvent free (so that it doesn't damage the photos on the page or in the rest of the album through migration of chemicals), a shadow can be drawn in wherever you want one. There is a very good marker for this use in the Fall 2007 Catalogue and Idea Book from TheAngelCompany(tm). Contact me, any time, for more information.

Welcome to Suse GNO League

Coming Soon -- details of the GNO League's options ...

Come back very soon, I promise this is going to be very exciting.